Look Into My Eyes
by Manjeet Birk
i could feel her eyes lingering over me,
both intentionally
and unintentionally.
as though,
the only thing
that would avert her gaze
is the threat of mine.
i wondered
if she wondered
if i wondered
what she was thinking.
if i felt confined within her judgements,
if i feared them
or more so
if i felt complete by them.
slowly and purposefully
i looked over to meet her gaze
only to watch it turn away.
what is it
about looking people
in the eyes
that we find so frightening?
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Manjeet Birk lives on the traditional unceded territory of the Coast Salish. She is currently a doctoral student in Education at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests focus on women’s organizing, racialized and Indigenous girls, and social justice. With a lifetime of experience organizing, troubling and challenging systems, Manjeet is always looking for new ways to re-conceptualize a more beautiful world.
Decolonization 